[at-l] Hikers Death on Mt Washington

[shellydhale at earthlink.net (Shelly Hale)]

Seems as if Mt Washington is collecting its share of victims this year.

Has anyone found out why he changed plans?

Shelly Hale
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Hudson" <hudsom@us.ibm.com>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 5:40 PM
Subject: [at-l] Hikers Death on Mt Washington


>
>
>
>
> Slightly more info from the NH Fish and Game department
>
<<http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2004/News_2004_Q1/Hiker_Gaum
ond_013004.htm>>
>
>
>                      Recovered Hiker Identified
>
>
>  CONCORD, N.H. -- The hiker whose body was recovered yesterday from
>  Huntington Ravine on the east side of Mt. Washington has been
>  identified as Jason Gaumond, 28, of Southbridge, Massachusetts. The
>  Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death. Family
>  members have been notified.
>
>
>  Gaumond was last seen in Milan, N.H., on the morning of Tuesday,
>  Jan. 27. According to Capt. Martin Garabedian of N.H. Fish and
>  Game, Gaumond had stated his intention to go skiing at Mad River
>  Ski Area in Vermont before returning home to Southbridge on Tuesday
>  night.
>
>
>  The search for Gaumond began on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when the man's
>  mother reported him missing to the Southbridge, Mass., Police
>  Department. Vermont and New Hampshire officials were contacted, and
>  the search narrowed to the Presidential range when Gaumond's car
>  was located on Jan. 29 at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center on Route 16.
>  Volunteers and staff from the U.S. Forest Service, the Appalachian
>  Mountain Club, Mountain Rescue Service, Androscoggin Valley Search
>  and Rescue, and N.H. Fish and Game Conservation Officers initiated
>  a search. Conditions on the mountain throughout the search were
>  harsh, with temperatures about -11o F and steady strong winds
>  averaging 75 miles per hour and gusting up to 100 mph.
>
>
>  After the search for Gaumond began, a local ski guide reported to
>  searchers that he thought he had seen, from a distance, a red
>  backpack, at the base of Yale Gully in Huntington Ravine on
>  Wednesday. Gaumond's body was recovered from that area on Thursday
>  afternoon. The terrain he was descending is extremely technical
>  during the winter season.
>
>
>  Yale Gully is on the east side of Mt. Washington, approximately 3
>  miles from the trailhead at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. The
>  incident was not avalanche-related, though Huntington Ravine and
>  nearby locations are known for unpredictable weather and avalanche
>  conditions throughout winter and spring.
>
>
>  Mount Washington's terrain and winter conditions are challenging
>  and hazardous, requiring technical gear and special knowledge to
>  survive a winter hiking trip. Chris Joosen, Lead Forest Service
>  Snow Ranger, reminds all winter enthusiasts to be prepared with
>  proper winter survival equipment, knowledge of the terrain, current
>  and forecasted weather conditions, and the latest avalanche
>  advisory, which is updated daily by the U.S. Forest Service and
>  posted at http://www.tuckerman.org.
>
>
>
>
> skeeter
>
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